Could he really love me?
by Steampunk Dinah
Summary: The young daughter of Yakumo and Mushra turns eighteen.Two guys have taken a liking to her,Sago's only son and the Dark Lord.Will she find love in one of them?Similar to 'Ume',a story by rikacreator. CH.3 Loaded!
1. Birthday Bash Crashed

Disclaimer: I don't own Shinzo. I wish I did but I don't.

Author's Note: This story is kind of based on 'Ume' ,a story by rikacreator. It starts out as a Kokomai/Mushrambo angst story but slowly evolves into a romance. There will most likely be some OOC-ness but please forgive me.

**Could he really love me?**

Kokomai walked out to the lake behind her house. She sat down at the edge of the lake, slipped off her shoes, and dipped her feet in the water. She kicked her feet around a little bit. She lived in Shinzo with her mother, Yakumo, and her father, Mushra. She had her mother's long brown hair and her father's sky blue eyes. She wore a purple blouse and a black skirt with a white-gem belt hanging loosely from her waist.

She watched as two swans landed on the water and swam alongside each other. This caused Kokomai to smile. The swans looked so beautiful together. She put her right hand over her heart and sighed. "They're so beautiful. I wish I had someone to be close to."

"Kokomai, What are you doing out here?" Her father asked, sitting down next to her. She looked over at her father and grinned. She had always been a daddy's girl.

"I'm just enjoying the peace and quiet. I want to relax before my party. It's a big thing. I wouldn't want to be tired before it." Kokomai said, pulling her feet from the water and letting them dry in the sunlight. Today was very exciting. Kokomai was turning eighteen today.

Mushra nodded. "I see. Well, rest up. I'll come get you when the first guest arrives." Mushra hugged his daughter before getting to his feet and walking back to the house. Mushra had changed since he had first met Yakumo. He was now taller than Yakumo and had longer hair that went to her shoulders. He mostly kept it pulled back in a ponytail. Kokomai had seen pictures of her father before he married her mom. She could see the great difference. She always bugged her dad about how short he was in the photos.

Kokomai turned her attention back to the shimmering lake. She had always loved to sit by the lake. When she was little, her mother and father would bring her to the lake and they would have a picnic and play hundreds of games. Sometimes they invited their friends Sago and Kutal and their families. Sago had lost his wife when Kokomai was very little so she didn't know much about her but his son, Tomatu, was Kokomai's best friend. He was a year older than Kokomai. Kutal had a wife named Daisy and two children. He had a daughter named Kita and a son named Daimeru. They were twins and both Kokomai's age. Kokomai, Tomatu, and the twins were close friends. Whenever they were together, they always had a lot of fun. Sometimes Kokomai found herself watching Tomatu with some admiration. She sort of had a little crush on him.

She shook her head and came back to reality. She noticed that the swans were gone. She smiled and got up.She turned to walk towards the house but her foot got caught on a tree root. She closed her eyes as she felt herself fall."Ah!" She never felt herself hit the ground. Instead, she felt someone wrap their arms around her and pull her to her feet. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up. She found herself staring into dark violet eyes hidden behind light blue hair. She smiled up at her long-time friend, Tomatu. She blushed when she saw close they were.

"You've always been so graceful." Tomatu spoke, his voice dripping with friendly sarcasm. He set Kokomai on her feet and stepped back a few steps.

Kokomai rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "Haha. Very funny. I may not be the most graceful person in Shinzo but at least I know how to hyper form."

Tomatu frowned and gave her a gentle glare. He had always hated the fact that she could hyper form before him. "So what? I can still beat you in normal form."

"Yeah? I'd love to see you try." Kokomai said, giving him a silent challenge.

Tomatu took no time to hesitate. He heard the challenge and took it. He ran towards her and tackled her to the ground. They rolled around and fought for power. Kokomai had Tomatu's wrists in her hands and her knees against his stomach. Tomatu was putting all his weight into his upper body. His face was getting closer and closer to Kokomai's with every passing moment.

When Kokomai noticed how close they were, she loosened her grip on his wrists. This caused him to move closer because the weight he was putting on her arms forced her arms closer to her body. Kokomai's eyes wandered and surveyed their situation. She was on her back with Tomatu leaning over her. Their faces were only inches apart. She blushed a light red. Tomatu noticed her blush and then he surveyed their position. Seeing them so close, he also blushed. "Well, this is..."

"Yeah...um...maybe we should...ummm.." Kokomai stumbled over her words.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Someone asked. Laughter was heard soon after.

The two looked up to find Sago and Mushra. Both were laughing and looking down at their children. Tomatu and Kokomai blushed deeper and quickly moved away from each other. This caused the two fathers to laugh even harder. Mushra looked at his daughter, his smile growing. "Well, I came to tell you that your guests were here but I guess Tomatu already made that clear. Come on. Your mother wants to show you off to more people."

Kokomai let out a groan of displeasure. Her mother always loved to show her off. She was proud of having the only half-human, half-Enterran child. The fact that she could Hyper form made her even more proud. Kokomai had learned that she had enough Enterran blood in her to Hyoer form when she was only nine years old. She had the same powers as her father but didn't change much when she hyper formed. "Does she have to?"

Mushra chuckled and nodded. "She's very proud of you. She wants to show you off."

As Kokomai rose to her feet and walked to her father's side, she groaned once more. "But she does it every time someone is around. I grow very weary of it."

Sago, Mushra, and Tomatu laughed. Tomatu walked on the other side of her. He put his hand on her shoulder. "With the way you speak, I'm suprised. You speak so different."

"It's what makes me special. I like the way I place my words." Kokomai held her head high as she spoke. She was a very unique speaker among her friends and family.

Soon, they all reached the house. They could hear a lot of voices. They walked into the backyard and Kokomai saw all of her friends.She saw Kita and Daimeru near their father and mother. "Kita! Daimeru!" She exclaimed as she ran to them.

The twins turned around when they heard their names being called out. When they spotted Kokomai, they held out their arms and hugged her when she reached them. The three friends hugged and laughed. When they pulled away, they began speaking in such a speed that only they could understand.

Sago and Mushra walked over to stand next to Kutal and Daisy while Tomatu went to join in the talk with Kokomai, Kita, and Daimeru.They talked for thirty minutes. Soon, Yakumo came over and hugged Kokomai."Happy Birthday sweetie."

Kokomai smiled and hugged her mother back. "Thanks mom. I still can't believe I'm eighteen."

"Well believe it. You're eighteen and as beautiful as can be."Yakumo said. The corners of her mouth curled up in a big smile.

Kokomai smiled in return. Soon music began to play and everyone danced. When Yakumo brought out the cake, everyone crowded around it to watch Kokomai blow out the candles. They sang while Mushra lit the candles. Kokomai listened to them and blushed. She felt like the center of attention and was kind of embarrassed. When the singing stopped, she took in a deep breath and blew out the candles. the flames lingered but soon went out. Smoke rose from the candles in small curving lines. Kokomai ran her fingers through the smoke, creating a beautiful picture. Everyone clapped and smiled.

Tomatu walked to her side and gave her pat on the back. "So what did you wish for?"

Kokomai looked at him. "I'm not going to tell you. If I do, it won't come true."

Kisa walked to Kokomai's other side and wrapped an arm around her friend. "So what are you going to do now that you're eighteen?"

"She's going to come with me and become my bride." A loud voice said. Everyone looked around and tried to find this strange voice. Yakumo moved into Mushra's arms. Kisa and Kokomai moved close in fright. Sago, Kutal, Tomatu, and Daimmeru stood around the group in defensive stances. Someone yelled out "Over there!" and pointed towards the lake.

Everyone turned and saw a figure standing underneath a tree. Kutal, Sago, Tomatu, and Daimeru moved towards the stranger. Mushra quickly joined them. He wasn't going to let anyone harm the people here, especially Yakumo or Kokomai. "Show yourself!" Mushra demanded to know.

Kokomai moved closer to the front of the group with Kisa to get a good look at this strange person. Yakumo and Daisy also moved close and stood with the two girls.

From under the tree walked a tall young man. He wore a samurai's armor and walked with a light step. Kokomai could see slightly noticable muscles from under his armor.She looked from his toes on upward. She saw a sword hanging from the person's waist. As she got to the shoulders, she saw a long ponytail of purple hair. The intruder's skin was slightly pale and his eyes were a deep red. When she looked at the person's whole face, a look of horror came to her face. Everyone's face turned to one of horror.

Kokomai tried to find her voice. She was shaking with fear. "That's...that's..."

Tomatu glared at the person and spoke through gritted teeth. "Dark Lord Mushrambo."


	2. Why me?

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Shinzo. If I did, it would be a lot different from what it is on tv. 

Author's Note: Sorry I've taken so long to update but I got so busy and then had to get ready for school. I'm still getting ready but I'm finally getting a chance to work on my story. Once again, there might be some OOC- ness but please forgive me. Thoughts will be in **bold** print.

**Could he really love me?**

**Replay**

_Kokomai tried to find her voice. She was shaking with fear. "That's...that's..."_

_Tomatu glared at the person and spoke through gritted teeth. "Dark Lord Mushrambo."_

* * *

Mushra gripped his staff tighter. "Why are you here?" 

Mushrambo smirked. "I've come to retrieve my new wife. I've been watching Kokomai and I think she'll make a lovely wife. Hand her over and no one will get hurt." Mushrambo held out his hand, waiting for his bride to come to him.

Mushra and the others all narrowed their eyes. "We're not handing Kokomai over to anyone!" Tomatu yelled. He looked over his left shoulder and saw Kokomai and Kisa very close. He looked back at Mushrambo and his heart was filled with hatred. No one was taking his dear Kokomai away from him without a fight. **Wait, My Kokomai? When did I start to call her mine?** Tomatu shook the thought from his head and focused back on Mushrambo.

Mushrambo chuckled and took a few steps forward. Everyone behind the guys took four steps backward. Daisy and Yakumo pulled the girls closer and moved infront of them. No one was going to hurt anyone here. He looked at Kokomai and caught her gaze. He could see the fear in her eyes and this caused him to chuckle more. He held out his hand. "Come on Kokomai. I'm trying to be nice about this. If you don't want these people to be hurt, you should come over here now."

Kokomai gasped and moved a little closer. "What do you mean? Do you intend to hurt these people?"

Mushrambo made a fist with his outstretched hand and after a few moments, he opened his hand and a small purple orb floated above his palm. It began to grow and grow. Mushrambo looked at the people around him then at Kokomai. "Only if you don't come with me."

Kokomia turned and looked at the people around her. Many of them were very close and she loved each one of them. She looked at her father and her mother. Then she looked at Kisa, Daimeru, and Tomatu. Her heart was filled with fear for his loved one's lives. She broke away from Kisa and moved away from the group, standing just behind the line of protectors. She bowed her head and spoke loud enough for Mushrambo to hear her. "I'll go with you. Just don't harm these people."

Mushrambo smiled while everyone turned to face her. Mushra and Tomatu walked over to her to stop her. Mushra looked at her. "You are not going with him. I refuse to let you do this."

"I also won't let you do this. It's crazy!" Tomatu exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.

Kokomai sighed and looked back and forth from her father to Tomatu. "I have to! I can't let him hurt these people because of me. I refuse to let that happen." Kokomai gave them both a stern look and moved between them. She pulled her arm away from Tomatu when he grabbed it, trying to stop her. She looked back at him once again then walked a little closer to Mushrambo. She saw his hand lower and the energy disappeared.

Sago suddenly appeared infront of her. "I'm sorry but I can't let you do this." Before Kokomai could object, he reached out and applied pressure on a small part of her neck. Kokomai eyes rolled back and she became limp. Sago quickly caught her. He picked her up and quickly carried the unconcious girl back towards the group. He handed her to Mushra, who scooted back and held his daughter in his arms.

Mushrambo became enraged. The girl was almost in his grasp but that stupid Enterran had to stop her. He held up his hand again but then decided against it. He wanted Kokomai to be awake when she came with him. He wanted to see her loved ones mourn as he took her away. He looked at Kokomai's sleeping form. He snickered a bit and looked at Mushra. "I will return for your daughter in the period of one day. I hope she'll be ready by then. Farewell."

With that, Mushrambo stepped back into the shadows of the tree and vanished. Everyone was silent. The silence was broken by a small groan. All eyes turned towards Kokomai's stirring figure. Mushra slowly set her on a nearby chair. Kokomai's eyes slowly opened and she shaded her eyes from the bright sun. After a moment, she looked around. She tried to remember what happened. Suddenly, she remembered Mushrambo. She scanned the area for him but when he was nowhere to be found, she relaxed. "Where did Mushrambo go?"

Yakumo let out a deep breath. She kneeled infront of her daughter and put her hand over Kokomai's. "He's gone. Thank goodness. I was so scared you were really going to leave us."

Mushra stormed up. "So was I. Why did you agree to go with him? Are you crazy! We might not have ever seen you again!"

Kokomai narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. "He was going to harm all of you! I wasn't going to let you all kill yourselves to save me."

Everyone was quiet for a moment then Kokomai got to her feet. Yakumo also rose to her feet. Yakumo moved closer to Mushra and waited for her daughter to speak. Kokomai looked at those around her and thought of how they risked their lives to help her. At first, she was angry but then she grew extremely overcome with love and sadness. She saw how they loved her so much and they would sacrifice their lives for her safety. Tears fell from her eyes and she let out a yelp as she hugged Kisa, Daimeru, and Tomatu. "I'm sorry you guys. I love you all. Thank you for sticking up for me. I couldn't ask for better friends." She continued to cry as she clung to her closest friends.

Tomatu, Kisa, and Daimeru all hugged back. Kisa was crying as well. "We'd never let you go without a fight Koko." Kisa cried, calling Kokomai by her special nickname. The girls clung to eachother and cried while the other's watched quietly. After a while, people began to depart, wishing Kokomai and her family the best of luck. Sago, Tomatu, Kutal, Daisy, Kisa, and Daimeru stayed. The children were in the backyard while the Yakumo, Mushra, Kutal, Daisy, and Sago spoke inside.

Outside, Tomatu and Daimeru sparred against one another, hoping to forget about everything that happened earlier. Kisa and Kokomai sat on the porch and watched. Kisa was laughing as her brother got his butt beat. Kokomai sat quietly. She held her legs to her chest and was resting her chin on her knees. She was lost deep in thought about Mushrambo. She was frightened but also curious. **Why does he want me? When there are so many girls more beautiful than me, why did he choose me?** Unknown to everyone, even her parents, Kokomai found Mushrambo strangely attractive. Something about him just seemed to spark something deep inside her. She looked at Kisa with a frantic look, hoping that her friend wasn't looking and couldn't read her expression. Kisa wasn't looking at her at all. Kokomai let out a sigh of relief.

Sago walked out and called their attention. The boys stopped fighting and the girls looked over their shoulder. He asked them all to come inside for some important news. They exchanged looks and nodded. Kokomai and Kisa rose from their seats and walked inside, quickly followed by Tomatu and Daimeru. When they went inside, they saw Yakumo sitting on a chair with Mushra behind her. Kutal and Daisy were standing together by the fireplace. Sago sighed and took a seat in a small chair. The four stood before their parent's with worried faces. Kokomai finally spoke. "You said you wanted to see us?"

Mushra nodded and Yakumo turned her glance from the floor to her daughter. "We've been talking. We don't want you to go with Mushrambo but we can't fight them. I know you have the never- give- up spirit like your dad and never want to look cowardly but this is for your own safety." Yakumo tried to speak but her words were lost. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands.

Mushra rubbed her back and looked at Kokomai. "We want you to run."


	3. Fighting up close

Disclaimer: Don't even ask ...The answer is no, I don't own Shinzo.

Author's Note: I'm back and I'm writing as fast as I can! I hope to get these next few chapters up faster but I can't make any promises. **Bold **print is for thoughts.

**Could he really love me?**

**Replay**

_Mushra rubbed her back and looked at Kokomai. "We want you to run."_

**End of Replay**

Kokomai gasped and looked at her father with wide eyes. "Run? You want me to run? Aren't you the ones who always told me to stand up for what I believe in!"

Mushra bowed his head. He had taught her to stand up for herself and fight for what she thought was right. He didn't want her to run but he knew she couldn't win if she fought. "Yes. You need to run. If you try to fight against Mushrambo, you'll die and I refuse to let that happen to you."

Kisa watched her friend argue with her father. She saw Kokomai's hands turn to fists. She tapped Tomatu on the shoulder and pointed it out to her. He nodded, understanding what she was trying to say. He walked over to Kokomai and put his hands on her shoulders. He gave them a little squeeze and pulled her closer to him. He whispered in her ears. "Please, calm down. No one here wants you to be taken away and we think this is a only way to save you."

Kokomai turned to look at him. She cared for him deeply but she also had her pride to think about. She glared at him, trying to tell him that she refused to give up. She looked back at her dad and growled. "I'm strong enough to fight him. Why are you trying to kill my fighting spirit?"

Mushra sighed. "We're not trying to kill your fighting spirit. We're trying to save you so you can still have your fighting spirit. I know you are a very strong girl but listen, you're not strong enough to take on Mushrambo."

"So you're saying that I can't win?" Kokomai couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her father's mouth. He had been so strong years before and he would have never backed down from a fight. It was like he was a totally different person than he used to be.

"As much as I hate to say it, yes. You're not strong enough. If you fight against Mushrambo, you'll lose before the fight begins. I refuse to let you lose."

"And I refuse to run away from him!" Kokomai yelled, breaking away from her friends and running out of her house.

She heard her friends and family yelling for her to come back but she didn't stop. She ran and ran. She didn't stop running until she was on the edge of the city and surrounded by a forest. She looked behind her and saw nothing but the cityscape. Kokomai sighed and leaned against a tree. She moved so she was sitting with her back against the tree. Pulling her legs to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes.

"I'm only eighteen. Why does Mushrambo want me? What's so special about me?" Kokomai asked herself out loud, knowing that no one would answer.

"Because you are part human and that is so intriguing. Besides, you are quite beautiful." Mushrambo said, sitting on a branch above Kokomai.

Kokomai jumped to her feet and moving away from the tree, she looked up and glared at Mushrambo. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you but then I saw you run. I thought it might be fun to follow you. Do you have a problem with that, my dear?"Mushrambo couldn't help but smirk at the angered expression on Kokomai's face.

"Yes I do and don't call me 'dear'. You have no right to come to my home and demand my hand in marriage! I don't like you so why do you think I'll marry you?" She knew she was lying but she would never let him know.

Mushrambo chuckled. "I am the Dark Lord Mushrambo. I can do whatever I wish." He rose to his feet and stood on the branch, glaring down at Kokomai.

Kokomai smirked and got in a defensive stance, not willing to take any chances. "Not with me. I'll fight back."

Those words both enraged and intrigued Mushrambo. He jumped down from the tree and walked closer to the girl. He circled her and looked at every aspect of her. She still had a defensive stance, never letting him get an opening to attack or touch her. "Strong shoulders, long neck, creamy skin, beautiful hair, instense eyes, and lushious lips. Such a perfect girl to be my bride. A fighter and lover put into one." He moved to stand infront of her with his arms crossed. He had a cocky smirk on his face and his eyes had a mischievious gleam in them.

"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I said? I'm not going to be your bride." Kokomai said, glaring and dropping her defensive stance. Her arms were by her side and her hands were in fists. She was getting very aggrivated that he continued to say that she was going to be his bride when she was refusing.

"And yet, earlier you were going to come to me willingly."

"That was because you were threatening my friends and family."

"But you never truly voiced your rejection at your party."

"Because I was shocked that you even appeared."

The two went back and forth with the comments, Mushrambo trying to get her riled up and Kokomai defending herself. They never broke eye contact, spiting out comment after comment. Eventually, Mushrambo trapped Kokomai in a corner.

"You have a strange attraction to me."

Kokomai's eyes widened and she gave on last retort. "You have no proof of that."

"You have yet to attack me despite all of your anger and you haven't said anything rude either. You could just be polite but looking at who your father is, I doubt it highly."

Kokomai opened her mouth to reply but she couldn't think of anything. Her mind was blank. Since she couldn't think of anything to say, she did what she wanted. She charged and punched him. Her fist collided with his jaw and he flew backwards.

They were both shocked. Mushrambo didn't think that she would be able to attack him with that much power and Kokomai didn't know she had that much strength. They were wide-eyed as they stared at each other. Both were silent until Mushrambo got up and charged at Kokomai, starting the battle between the two.

Kokomai dodged his attack and jumped into a tree. Mushrambo kicked the tree trunk, making it snap up the middle and shake Kokomai out of the tree. She fell and slammed against the ground. She was still for a moment then jumped up and struck a defensive pose. She wasn't going to let down on her attack. She just needed more power. "Hyper Flame!"

She was engulfed in a sphere of flames and when it disappeared, Kokomai had changed. She still had her long brown hair but it was pulled up in a high ponytail. She was covered in royal purple armor that was very similar to her father's and had a long sword strapped to her sides. Strapped to her forearms were two curved blades of fire.

Mushrambo stood and looked her up and down. He was very impressed. "So you can hyper-form even though you're only half- Enterran...Very impressive." He gave one more long gaze, seeing how the armor fit her body so well.

Kokomai narrowed her eyes and held back a growl. Even when she was being serious, he continued to taunt and tease her. She gripped the handle of her sword and her eyes flared with a stubborn fire. "How can you be so calm when you're about to get taken down!" She pulled her sword out of it's sheath and charged, blade facing Mushrambo.

She was ready to stab Mushrambo and be done with it. She was so close but just as her blade was ready to slice him, he moved and grabbed her wrist. He threw her in another direction and she slammed against a tree. She felt the tree fall under her force and then the tree next to it, causing a chain reaction of a few other trees. When the tree she hit fell to the ground, she didn't stop falling. The ground under the tree had collapsed, showing a cave underneath. Leaves, branches, and other things fell in the hole with her. She screamed in pain then fell silent as her world went black. She was falling and being buried under the trees.

* * *

Author's Note: Cliffy! I'll get the next chapter out faster, I promise. R&R. Please check out my other stories! 


End file.
